Erin Toughill Next Strikeforce Women's Champion
Is American Gladiator Steel in Line for Ladies’ MMA Title Shot?
The enigma of Gina Carano is no more.
On Saturday night, August 15, 2009, her unbeaten record received a huge blow, thanks to the devastating first-round TKO at the hands of the seemingly unstoppable new Strikeforce Women’s Champion Cris Cyborg. While Carano can bounce back and enjoy a highly competitive career – perhaps even a championship of her own in the future – she is no longer the undefeated in-ring, out-ring knockout.
And sexist as it may be, the public just can’t get behind a women’s MMA titleholder that looks like Cris Cyborg. Of course, many in the MMA community feel differently because of Cyborg’s superior talent and skill. But for ladies mixed martial arts to continue its rapid increase in popularity, the general public will inevitably seek a contender with more poise and beauty.
(As if the sport needs a model instead of an athlete.)
For such a crowd, there may be an answer in the form of Erin Toughill. Toughill is in line for the Strikeforce Women’s Champion Cris Cyborg’s newly won belt, and looking at her career-to-date, it appears she may be up for the challenge.
Prior to the Carano-Cyborg fight, American Gladiator “Steel” is how the general public knew her. A big, tough beauty, Toughill made challengers’ lives miserable for the short run of the series. Those who followed her appearances inevitably discovered her history with “mixing it up.”
Erin Toughill the Boxer
Erin Toughill began her boxing career at just 23 years of age, and did not taste defeat until her tenth fight. With a record of 7-0-1 (her meeting with Jackie Frazier-Lyde ended in a no contest), she faced the more experienced Laila Ali. Results were neither what she wanted nor expected. A back-and-forth war of words culminated in their Washington, DC, fight at the MCI Center. In their only meeting, Ali punished the underdeveloped Toughill and put her away in the third round.
Two more fights followed, both against Laura Ramsey. The first ended in Toughill’s favor with a unanimous decision. But before the second fight, Toughill’s father died a couple of weeks before the meeting and the stress no doubt played a huge role in her devastating defeat, a first-round TKO.
Redefining Toughill As Women’s MMA Superstar
Before Erin Toughill ever stepped into a boxing ring, she had a taste for the sport of ladies mixed martial arts. In her 10-year cagefighting career, Toughill has only lost twice, and one time was by disqualification. In nearly a decade, no one has ever been able to get the better of her inside a cage. Strikeforce noticed her talents and has been working on a deal to get her in their women’s 145-pound division for quite some time.
Talks focused on her battling the winner of the Carano-Cyborg championship match, thus building a division that could draw interest from all across the MMA community. And now with that contest decided, Toughill is a frontrunner, though a deal has yet to be inked. Toughill could also be a worthy opponent for Carano to try and win back some of her credibility, and perhaps earn a second chance at Cyborg, though it remains to be seen if that is actually what she wants at this time.
One thing, however, is for sure: Carano’s loss makes a star of Cris Cyborg, and it opens up new possibilities for competitors such as Erin Toughill. Look for this skilled beauty to make her mark, one way or another. The future of women’s MMA depends on it.
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